


Being Parents

by Hayjake1



Category: Being Human (US/Canada)
Genre: Conflict Resolution, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Parenthood, Post-Series, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5908663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hayjake1/pseuds/Hayjake1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one-shots detailing Josh and Nora raising their children at various moments in their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Just some much-needed post series finale fluff. I'm working on this at the same time as my other story Birds of a Feather so I'll try my best to post somewhat regularly but no promises.

A wet dew hung across the grass as the sun peered over the horizon. The leaves above gleamed almost translucent in the orange light of morning, and a small breeze rustled the branches, causing a small green leaf to fall down, plastering itself to Josh’s face. The soft scratch of the foliage pulled him from one dream, yet as he saw the sun captured in his wife’s hair he was struck with the feeling that he had awoken in another dream. She was laying on her side, facing away from him. Their son, Aidan, was stretched across her legs, mud and grass tangled in his hair. He turned his neck and looked to his right, where their daughter Sally was softly snoring. He looked up and saw the small, distant shape of a full moon fading away.  
“Nora. Are you awake?”

She stirred slightly, and her eyes flicked open. “I am now.” She whispered, seeing the kids sleeping around them. “Seems like they did alright.” She smiled at him and he happily returned the gesture.

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I could hardly keep up with Aidan last night.” Nora’s eyebrows raised slightly, making him a little confused. “What?”

“You said “I.”

“Huh. I guess I did.” He didn’t even realize it anymore, but he had stopped saying “my wolf” when talking about the full moon nights. Ever since the twins came, he had been making peace with that part of him. He owed it to the kids, to Nora, and to his friends. Aidan and Sally, the namesakes of his children, the dead people who showed him how to be alive. They taught him too much for him to keep being frightened. He would never feel completely in control, but he felt… comfortable being what he was now. They found peace, and now he dared to believe he had found it too. He took a deep breath and let himself fall into memories of them, until a sudden thought struck his mind from seemingly nowhere. “Nora… what day is it?”

“Uh, Monday. The 26th.”

“Oh my god! We’ve got to go, wake the kids up. We’ve got to get ready!” He leaped up and ran off, returning seconds later with the bag he had hid in the branches of a nearby tree. He instantly began pulling mouthwash, a hairbrush, and wet wipes galore from the kit.

“Josh, what do you mean? Let them sleep. What’s your rush?” She gently removed her legs from under Aidan and stood, stretching out.

“It’s the 26th! School starts today, the kids are supposed to be there in an hour! Get Sally and Aidan washed up, I’ll run to the house and get their bags.”

Nora took her jacket from the bag and, after shrugging it on, put her hand on his shoulder. “Wait, Josh. Why don’t we let them stay home today? Let them rest some.”

“And miss their first day? They’ve been looking forward to this! If they miss the first day, they’ll go in tomorrow and everyone will already have made friends, and people will think they’re weird, and it just started a whole cycle. Soon they’ll want to stay home after every change, and then we’re explaining why our children’s absences coincide with the lunar cycle, and then next thing you know we’re that weird family that parents tell their kids not to go trick-or-treating to and rumors will start -”

She leaned in and kissed him, cutting off his stream of thought and silencing all his concerns. They held each other for a long moment, then she pressed another kiss on his check. “Well, we better hurry up and get them ready then.” She smiled and walked over to the kids, gently nudging them awake. Josh smiled at their soft yawns and tousled hair, and walked over to get them ready, rejoining his family in the dream they had built.


	2. Age 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

“Do you have your bag?” Nora asked as Aidan came flying down the stairs. 

“Yeah!” The boy yelled with excitement, lifting his small duffle bag above his head.

“Alright, let’s go then.” She smiled, patting his back as she grabbed her car keys off the ring. “Go say goodbye to your father.”

He took off running again, veering into the kitchen and wrapping himself around Josh’s legs. “Bye, dad!” He said.

“Woah, woah. Hold on a minute!” Josh bent down to eye level with his son. “What did we agree?”

Aidan huffed and set his bag down in annoyance, eager to get going. “No roughhousing, be in bed by nine, and I call first thing tomorrow morning.” He grumbled, eyes fixes on his show.

“And?” 

“And - family secrets stay family secrets.” He looked up and met his father’s eyes, his pride in remembering the most important rule obvious on his face. Josh smiled and patted Aidan’s shoulder.

“Alright, don’t keep your mother waiting. Have fun!”

The boy had already turned and bounded out of the kitchen, running full speed to the garage. He passed his sister, sitting on the couch pouting with a juice box in her hand. “Bye, Sally!” He called out as he ran by. She reciprocated with a sour glare, and as soon as she heard the sound of her mother’s car leaving the house, she jumped up and stamped her foot.

“Why does Aidan get to have a sleepover!”  She moaned. 

Her father entered the room, stooping over to pick up the toys left scattered throughout. “Because he got invited to one, and he didn’t make Tiffany Hertson cry during show-and-tell.” He scolded. 

“Tiffany is a baby!”

“I don’t care Sally! Mrs. Thurman said she didn’t even want to repeat what you said! Are you ready to tell me what you brought that has everyone freaking out or are we going to have to wait until your mother gets back from dropping off Aidan?” 

The girls eyes got wide and her face went white. She knew that no matter how mad her father was, her mother would only be worse. “No, don’t tell her daddy! She’ll never let me go to Anna’s birthday party, please!” She was on the verge of tears.

“Well, how about you tell me what you said, and then we’ll decide how much she needs to know. You’re lucky I answered the phone when the school called. Now, what did you bring?”

She trudged over to her bag and began to rummage through it. Josh held his breath, mortified of what she could have that would have caused such a reaction. All his fears were coming true; every worst case scenario playing out in his head. She must have a picture or something that showed what they are. No matter how many times he and Nora told them to keep the family secret a secret, Sally always seemed to consider it more of a game than anything. They would have to leave, pack up the house and disappear if word got out. Sure, no one would actually believe it, but he knew too well that there were other things out there, things that may come after them if they knew. Sometimes secrets were the price of safety. He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by a thud as Sally set her show and tell object on the table.

It was a brick. An old and chipped, worn down, brick. It still had an earthy brown color to it, but dark black soot had been burned into it. Josh recognized it at once, as he looked at it almost everyday. It sat above the fireplace, like how some would keep an urn, and he shamed himself for not noticing it hadn’t been there. But sure enough, there it was, pulled from the seven-year-old’s bag. “Sally… why did you take the brick?” He spoke softly now, partly in relief and partly to comfort her as he sat beside her at the table.

“Mrs. Thurman said to bring something related to your hairy tedge. Like where you come from and stuff.” 

“Heritage.” He corrected, unable to stop from smiling. “Why didn’t you ask your mom or me for help? Why’d you bring the brick?”

“Because I told everyone that my mom and dad came from the  _ Old House,  _ and the brick is what's left of the  _ OId House. _ ” She said it exactly as she had heard them say it, not as a place but a name given to everything that used to be. “ -and Mrs. Thurman said that wasn’t part of my heritage and I said it was, because I’m named after the lady who owned the house, but she fell and bumped her head so you and your friend moved in and made friends with her, and then you met mommy and she moved in and you were all family, which makes it part of my heritage. Then I said how the other Sally died and had to go, and how the other Aidan went with her in a fire and you and mom kept the brick cause it was all that was left and then Tiffany said she was scared and started crying for no reason! And Mrs. Thurman said not to make up stories like that but I didn’t make it up!” She started crying again and wrapped her arms around his neck, her rambles cut off by sniffles. 

Josh held her and comforted her. “It’s alright, Sally. I’ll talk to Mrs. Thurman and tell her it’s just a misunderstanding. And  don’t worry, your mother won’t be mad.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I think she’ll be glad to know you were exploring your … heritage. Maybe after she gets back from dropping off Aidan, she’ll even tell you some more stories of the Old House, but you gotta promise you won’t tell anyone else them. They’re special, just for you and your brother.”

Her face lit up as she drew in a sharp breath. “I wanna hear the one about Sally and the witch!” She exclaimed.

“Again? You’ve heard that one three times already!”

“It’s my favorite though!”

“Alright, alright. How about after dinner, me, you, and mom sit down and tell it?”

“Yes! Thanks, daddy!”

Josh took the brick and set it back in its place. Sometimes he wondered if it was foolish to hold onto it. But he didn’t have any pictures of his lost friends, no other monument to the times they spent together, and it felt right to have something of theirs nearby. He wished they could have known the kids, so he used the stories to introduce them. In the stories they were always happy, always together, and always heroes. Because heroes are something more than human, and that just seemed to fit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon!


	3. Age 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A dinner turned family therapy session turns angsty as true feelings are revealed. Taking a step back from the kids this chapter to elaborate on Josh's relationship with his mother and sister. Just thought it would be an interesting dynamic to explore.

At about 6:00 pm the car rolled past the bright green sign proclaiming WELCOME TO ITHACA,  the setting sun on the horizon casting it under the shadow of the trees that lined that road. The children sat in the backseat with their headphones on, while Nora read off the GPS just to cut through the silence as Josh drove, obviously uncomfortable to be back in his hometown.

“Emily says your mom is freaking out we’re not there yet. Do you want me to text her back?” Nora asked after checking her phone.

Josh sighed. “No, we’re almost there. It’s bad enough mom insisted we come see her, she can hold on for five more minutes.”

Nora rolled her eyes as she put the phone down. “I think it is nice that your mom wants to see the kids. I mean, it's been years and how often has she even seen them? This is what - the third time?”

Josh gave a quick glance to make sure the kids were still listening to their music before responding. “Yeah, well there is a reason for that. She treats them like a -” He went down to a whisper - “like a science experiment! I just - I don’t know why she still acts so disgusted by us. Nine years! And every time we see her it’s that same look of - of fear on her face. I mean, this is her family and she acts like we’re some time-bomb. I almost wish she would still just be in denial over it all. Maybe we shouldn’t have told her everything, I don’t know…”

“Josh, she’s your mother. She loves you, and she loves the kids. You changed her view of the world, and she doesn’t know how to react. That’s normal. I think you should just talk to her about all of this, and that would help. You know Emily has your back. Let’s just have a nice dinner together, and instead of being so sure it will go bad, why not give her a chance to adjust?”

The car pulled into a long driveway as he sighed and nodded, before turning to tap the kids knees and get their attention.”Alright, guys we’re here.”

They all emerged from the car, stretching as they walked to the front door of the large house. The door opened before they had even knocked, and Emily stepped onto the porch to greet them. She hugged her brother before beginning. “I’m just gonna warn you now, mom has been stressing me the - “ She paused as she noted the kids presence, “ - _heck,_ out.”

“Aunt Emily!” Sally erupted, rushing forward to wrap herself around her aunt’s legs. Aidan joined his sister in tackling her.

“Oh my gosh, you guys are huge! Last year, you were like half this size!” She said, bending down to eye level with them as they laughed.

“Aidan, Sally, why don’t you go get your bags from the car? Then we can all go say hi to Grandma.” Nora said, sending the children running to the car.

Once they had stepped off the porch, Emily sighed. “Ugh, she is just giving me such a headache. I don’t know what to tell her, Josh, this is your problem now.”

“How bad is it?” Josh asked, bracing for an unpleasant evening.

“Oh well, let’s see. So far she has asked me if we should use plastic utensils because silver might “send the wrong message.”  She made her fingers bend in air quotations as she scrunched her face in absurdity.  “She spent two hours explaining to me that she didn’t want to invite dad because things were going to be awkward enough - her words, not mine - and she has checked the lunar calendar you got her a total of six times to make sure that you didn’t accidentally schedule on a “bad night.” Her stress is palpable at this point, Josh.”

“We shouldn’t do this, she needs more time…” Josh began before Nora interrupted.

“More time? You’re the one who was just complaining that she’s taking to long to adjust. She’s trying, Josh. That counts for something.”

Emily nodded. “She’s right. Things are gonna be crazy regardless of the time.” The kids flew back up the porch steps at that point, and they all walked through the door. The house was alive with the smells and sounds of a busy kitchen. Josh’s mother emerged to greet them.

“Oh, I’m so glad to see you all! I was afraid you might not make it, I thought you said you’d be here around 5:30. Did something happen?” The kids both hugged their grandma while their parents set down the various bags and gifts on the table.

Josh answered his mother’s worry with only a barely detectable level of sarcasm. “No, believe it or not we had an uneventful drive. Just got caught in traffic.”

“Oh. Well I’m glad you’re here now. Dinner's almost ready, why don’t you two get settled and I’ll see if I can put these two to work in the kitchen. Maybe they won’t steal all my chocolate chips … unlike Emily.” The guilty party rolled her eyes and returned to texting. The kids dashed to the kitchen, laughing at some joke between themselves. Nora and Josh turned to carry the bags into their room, but his mother’s hand grabbed his arm as she pulled them close to whisper. “I hope you don’t mind but I made brownies. They- they can have chocolate, right?”

“Yes, mother! They’re not dogs! I -” Josh cut himself off and sulked off to take the bags before he could become further angered. Nora stood guideless, not knowing if she should follow her offended husband or stay to help her obviously clueless mother-in-law. In the end, she found herself drawing closer to the other woman as she sighed and put her head in her hands.

“I just don’t know what to think anymore.” She sniffled, and Nora realized how upset she really was, and searched for something comforting to say.

“It will get easier. It’s a process that we’re all trying to figure out, and Josh knows that it’s… worrisome to you. Hell, it should be, it can be a lot to handle. All he wants is for you to be a grandmother, and you are, I know! You’ve been great. He just - he has this expectation of what that is, and sometimes you’ve gotta force the reality that things can’t always be one hundred percent perfect on him. He - _we,_ both of us, appreciate that you just want to help. We’re just not used to talking about _all of this_ so openly.”

As Nora concluded, the older woman sniffed again, then composed herself and spoke. “You know, they say no one knows a boy like his mother… well, that’s a bunch of nonsense. I always said a mother may know what her son keeps secret from her, but a wife knows what her husband keeps secret from himself.” She smiled and hugged her daughter-in-law. “I know how much you helped him when I couldn’t. Thank you.”

Beginning to tear up herself, Nora returned the smile. “Why don’t you go stop the kids from destroying your kitchen and I’ll go talk some sense into him. I don’t think anyone wants him pouting through dinner.” They both laughed, and went off to their separate missions.

About twenty minutes later they rejoined in the dining room to eat, the table having been decorated with a bounteous spread and everyone having sufficiently calmed down. Sensing the quiet has everyone took their seats, Emily lightened the mood by speaking directly to her niece and nephew. “Well, I’m super glad I get to see you two! Maybe tomorrow before you leave I can steal you from your parents and show you all the cool places in town.” The kids both smiled and looked to their parents for permission.

Nora and Josh shared a look and smiled and shot Emily a playful glare. “Okay, okay, you guys can go. Sounds like fun. And maybe next time Aunt Emily visits, you can show her around town!” Emily laughed and high-fived the kids, and Josh and Nora couldn’t help but smile as well. But as Nora spared a glance to the head of the table, she couldn’t help but notice the sad smile on the matriarch’s face. “And - maybe you can show grandma around sometime too.”

Josh and his mother both looked up in surprise. She began with a start - “Oh! That would be nice. I can’t remember the last time I saw your house.”

Only slightly attempting to disguise his annoyance, Josh replied, “It was 8 years ago. When we moved there. Actually that was the _only_ time you’ve been there.”

Nora glared at him in response and came to the defense. “Well, it’s not as though it’s an easy drive up to the house, Josh. We can’t expect her to just drop everything to make the trip.”

“That’s right, dear.” Mrs. Levison said with newfound confidence. “I honestly don’t know how you can live there, out in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, I’m surprised you moved. I thought you enjoyed living in Boston.”

Emily gave a dry laugh and rolled her eyes, obviously upset to see her mother now furthering the quasi-argument. “It’s not the middle of nowhere mom, they’re like 20 minutes outside of Pottersville. And it’s only like, an hour from my place in Albany and you come there plenty.” Josh and Nora both turned to the older woman as her face turned red, their own expressions showing only hurt and betrayal.

“Is that true, mom?”

“Well, she _is_ in the city Josh. Yes, I go there every now and then and I check up on her, but I mean, you- you’re married now, and I know you like your space so I figured, I’d let you be. I tried to come once and surprise you but I got lost! It sure seems like the middle of nowhere! How am I supposed to navigate there when  there’s nothing around that house for miles except the woods? You really should have thought about that when you bought the house.”

She would have continued rambling, but Josh lost it before she could finish. “That is WHY we bought that house, mother. You see there are certain things that had to be considered given the, you know, circumstances of our freaking lives. So I’m sorry that we didn’t accommodate you when we bought it. Next time, we’ll just get some apartment _in the city_ and crawl into some dungeon every month. Does that work for you? “

The room got silent for a moment, abruptly broken as Emily stood and placed her hands on Aidan and Sally’s shoulders “Why don’t we run out and get some ice cream while they talk, alright guys?” She said, gently leading them out of the room.

“Thanks, Emily.” Nora said as she ran her hand through her hair in distress. “You guys be good!” She called to her kids, and then the silence returned.

Mrs. Levison's voice was shaky as she attempted to remain calm. “You know that was not what I meant. You have no right -”

“ _I_ have no right?”

“Josh! Stop this now!” Nora yelled, her attempts at remaining calm gone as soon as the kids had left the room.

“No, I want to know how _I_ apparently don’t have the right to call her out on criticizing _my_ choices, when she has no idea! No idea how much we work for this, Nora! How much effort it takes to be sitting here with the kids, trying to at least feel… I don’t know, safe? Accepted? And she just has to pick it apart.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you would let me be a part of your life Josh! I am your mother. I understand why you left, why you hid everything, I do! But you don’t need to anymore. Stop playing keep-away with my grandchildren, stop acting like them being here, being exposed to me, is some great burden. All I want to do is love them, be a grandparent, and you won’t even let me do that. I was so happy that you finally agreed to come, I was! Did I do something wrong? I thought we were going to have a lovely evening and I just don’t understand where this is all coming from. Because I visit Emily more? What is this really about?”

Josh took a deep breath and calmed himself. “This is about the fact that I- I am finally content, and then I come here and you make me feel like a pariah. Like a specimen.”

Nora mediated immediately: “Josh, isn’t it possible that you could be reading into things too much?”

“Maybe.” He nodded sadly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you avoid me, mom.” He looked to his mother, who shook her head in protest. “You do, I know you do. I have invited you every year - for Passover, for birthdays, for anything - and you’ve not once accepted an invitation. And everytime, you go and warn dad, like he should be prepared to decline too. You never ask me about the kids, instead you ask Emily to tell you everything like she’s your personal spy. When was the last time you even had a conversation with me?”

“I call every month!” She protested.

He scoffed in return. “Yeah, I’ve noticed. Funny how you always manage to call the exact day after a full moon. Everytime. Did you think that was discrete? And then you just ramble about the weather and other nonsense. Why don’t you just ask what you really want to? What are you expecting i’ll say ‘yeah, things are good, Aidan killed a squirrel last night, thanks for asking?’ Sure, mom, you call, but if you’re just gonna do it out of morbid curiousity, I’d really you rather not.”

“I call out of concern! Do you not think I worry? I’m sorry if I treat you different but if I do, it’s just because… I remember how scared you always seemed, and I don’t want you to be scared. You leaving all those years ago… I understand it, I do, but… It makes me worry. I couldn’t help you then, when you needed it, I want you to at least know that I am here now no matter what, if you need anything. But look at you, though! You are a great father, a great husband, and a good man, and I am so proud of you for it. If I’m not the best at being helpful, it's just because… I feel like there's nothing I could tell you that you haven’t figured out for yourself.” She lay her hands on the table in a gesture of relief as it all came out. Nora took one hand and squeezed it, and Josh, softened by the outpour of emotions, walked over to hug his mother.

“I’m sorry, mom. I just - this, letting people into - or in this case, back into - my life, is harder for me than I like to admit. These last few years I’ve been … better, but I’m still pretty far from being a ‘good man.’

“That is not true.” Nora said, clearly familiar with her husband’s frame of mind.

Josh shrugged it off and continued, “The point is… I had a hard time accepting your concern because, I just couldn’t convince myself I deserved it. But that’s no excuse for how I acted.”

As he embraced his mother, he caught Nora smiling at the resolution. “So was this your master plan, Dr. Phil?”

They all shared a laugh as she responded “I don’t think anyone could have planned that confrontation.”

Some time later, Emily returned with the kids, entering quietly at first to get a feel of the atmosphere, but once she heard laughter from the other room, she entered at ease, catching them in the midst of a story.

“-I swear her whole hand just fell to the floor!” Josh concluded.

Nora added on “Yeah and remember Aidan kept calling her  “the corpse bridesmaid” the whole week leading up to the wedding!”

Mrs. Levison chuckled and spoke with good-humored sarcasm. “Well, that sounds like a lovely bridal shower.”

“Oh, it was a nightmare!”

Emily walked into the room and cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention just as the kids entered, each with a massive ice cream cone. “I take it a ceasefire was reached?”

“Oh, yes!” Mrs. Levison beamed as she sipped her wine. “In fact, we’ve been talking and  -what do you kids say to staying a few more nights at Grandma’s? Of course your mom and dad have to get back to work Monday, but if you really want to, I’m sure we can arrange for Emily to take you home when she goes back to Albany.” Both kids smiled immensely and hugged their parents, and soon they were all sitting down to discuss the extended stay, happily celebrating their breakthrough.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
